Downloadable content (DLC) is here to stay, we should just make our peace and get on with life, whether we like it or not. Luckily some DLC is good enough that you don’t have to make peace with it, but you can actually embrace it, hold it and pet it and love it and cuddle it and squeeze it… and then people can call you Elvira. Yes, some DLC is worth it.

I am not talking about day 1 DLC that is a few kilobytes in size, which means you pay for stuff that’s already on the disc you just bought. No, these unlocks are highway robbery. I am talking about DLC like Traitor’s Keep for Fable 3. This is DLC that you actually get something worth your while. Starting off, you actually get around 860mb of data. That has to count towards something, right?

A King of the people

If you have played Fable 3, you will know that a lot of the missions from the game remain available, even after you have become King of the lands. This poses a bit of a problem as the king is now running errands for his constituency. And not life-saving errands either, but silly little things like helping to catch runaway chickens. When it comes to the DLC I was scared that the King will now have a whole bunch of new errands to run for his lower class citizens, and retreading the same grounds I have been over plenty of times during the main campaign. Fortunately for me (and other skeptics) Traitor’s Keep is only available after you have become King, thus making this a Royal DLC.

As King you now have to tend to the tedium of running a country. During one of these boring rulings an assassin tries to kill you. At around the same time a mysterious ship with elite guards arrives at the city’s harbor. Turns out that the guards and their leader, Captain Milton, come from a top secret prison island where your brother, the previous King, held all sorts of vile villains with a slight tint of crazy against their will (cough…Arkham Asylum…cough!).

The assassination attempt was only a distraction and the prisoners of the island used it to escape. As King it is up to you to return these prisoners to their rightful place. However, when you arrive at the prison island you learn that the entire event is choreographed by a sinister general with the aim of overthrowing the monarchy, and his henchmen will need to be found as well.

Tale of three islands

That sets the tone nicely for a mission that will take you a good few hours to complete. You will not be covering the same ground as you did in the main game, and three new islands with three different themes will rather be your playground. One is an island full of mechanical enemies, including robot dogs. The second island is full of more mythical creatures and has a decidedly Transylvania feel to it.

The story is probably the best part of the DLC and the humour from the main game is still wholly intact. Sure, you get a few more clothing items and a new breed of dog to play with, and I think you gain some weapons and other niceties. But the story and new environments is what will be the most engaging. You play the role of a King perfectly and rather than doing tedious side-quests (which the DLC also adds), you focus more on the issues of national security. And the new islands feel suitably alien, yet somehow familiar.

The gameplay of the game does not change at all, and considering that this is DLC we are talking about, and not a full-fledged expansion, you do not expect the game to change too much at all.

The DLC is nice and short and if you missed Albion after completing the main game, this will be the perfect excuse to revisit this amazing world. The fact that it’s actually pretty darn good entertainment is simply a bonus. All Fable 3 fans must get this!

The Good: Sweet…
The Bad: Short…
The Ugly: Robot dogs, city of the future! Play it to know what I mean!

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